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The Late Shift

The Late Shift

1996
Comedy, Drama
TV Movie
1h 35m
HBO movie about the behind-the-scenes network politics responsible for the changes in late-night talk-show hosts, after the retirement of Johnny Carson from the Tonight Show on NBC. Jay Leno and David Letterman were both vying for the position, but Leno's tough manager Helen Kushnick got him the spot... (imdb)
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The Late Shift

1996
Comedy, Drama
TV Movie
1h 35m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 49.2% from 107 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(107)
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Rated 15 Jan 2010
70
78th
Props to Kathy Bates for effectively playing the biggest bitch of all time.
Rated 25 Jan 2010
56
37th
Decently entertaining dramatization that has become increasingly interesting in light of recent events. Higgins does a good job of capturing Letterman, but the guy playing Leno isn't nearly as good. Not that it matters too much, as Kathy Bates' Helen Kushnick is the real star here, and what an insufferable bitch she is. Leno is shown here to be innocently naive for the most part so it's tough to imagine Jay doing this sort of thing again without Helen. Maybe he wasn't so innocent after all.
Rated 18 Feb 2010
68
49th
While technically speaking it is merely put together with average competence there are some elements that really stand out. First is Kathy Bates, she is fantastic. If you've ever wanted to see a self-destructive super-bitch then this is it. Hands down. However Treat Williams is also superb as the supremely calm and confident superagent hired to help Letterman. This is especially interesting to watch now, after the whole Conan/Leno debacle. Man Leno is a jerk.
Rated 04 Nov 2011
88
79th
Exceptionally well-made and well-produced dramatisation of the Leno-Letterman war, with Higgins and Roebuck both startlingly convincing as Letterman and Leno respectively. Predates THE SOCIAL NETWORK in its ability to generate excitement and tension from basically one talking head after another; film also finds its anchor in a wonderful performance from Bates as firebrand Helen Kushnick. It is possible that you will enjoy this the more you know of the real-life events it depicts.
Rated 05 Mar 2020
57
52nd
Not great from a movie-making standpoint (Betty Thomas ain't much of a director), but it's a fun watch. Kathy Bates is great, and John Michael Higgins does a marvelous impersonation of Letterman. Rich Little's Carson voice is incredible--it's a pity he doesn't look much like him. Roebuck's Leno is the weak link of the leads--I found myself not caring if he kept his show or not, and I remember the events from when they happened. Lots of slamming of doors and phones. Great work from Bob Balaban.
Rated 13 Dec 2007
26
27th
Worst Late Night Talk Show impersonators...ever.
Rated 12 Apr 2008
50
55th
Not uninteresting, but dangerously close to caricature all the same.
Rated 13 Jan 2010
70
61st
However factually accurate the film is, it's definitely a great insight into the backroom maneuvering that got Jay Leno the Tonight Show spot, and as of the writing of this, a definite look into how the same situation could be applied to Conan O'Brien's ouster from the Tonight Show. The performances, except for Kathy Bates' brilliant Helen Kushnick and of course Rich Little doing Carson, are mostly meh, but it's more for the history than anything else.
Rated 25 Feb 2010
35
14th
I wanted to revisit this after I got all heated up over the recent Conan/NBC debacle, hoping to glean some extra insight into the previous Tonight Show feud. Unfortunately, Kathy Bates' Helen Kushnick is the only bright spot in this otherwise undramatic story. Leno is granted the Tonight Show about a third of the way into this, and Helen's arc is wrapped up soon after, dissipating all tension. Also, I can forgive the red hair on Letterman, but Leno's lispy voice was awful. Carson was spot-on.
Rated 17 Dec 2011
78
71st
I enjoyed this film. I found that the behind the scene elements of the story to be entertaining. The story kept me interested the entire way.
Rated 09 Aug 2014
80
86th
Higgins is great as Letterman, capturing that air between depressed comedian and cynic who repeatedly has his greatest dream ripped out of his hands. Roebuck's Leno is a lot less interesting-- the guy doesn't seem to do much until the film's second half. The only downside is Bates' performance which is just painfully wooden as a character written as a too-easy-to-pigeonhole villain. Still, I always love watching movies about people doing their jobs, and this fits the bill.
Rated 01 Feb 2015
70
36th
Kathy Bates steals the show in this movie about the behind-the-scenes dealings between CBS and NBC to fill the Tonight Show spot after Johnny Carson's retirement. The acting in this movie is outstanding! Even though the two actors playing Leno and Letterman weren't the clearest carbon copies, they did a wonderful job. The people who were taxed with playing the smaller roles in this movie really showed what they could do. A great beginning for original content on HBO.
Rated 22 Mar 2020
55
32nd
Higgins/Roebuck in their get-ups look like two different yet equally unpleasant toes (with, indeed, very bad hair). Roebuck especially is pretty excruciating to listen to, but a vulgar frothing Kathy Bates almost makes the motherfuck up for it. Everyone else fun. Balaban as Littlefield is duh but brilliant casting. Treat Williams as Ovitz, not so obvious but also great. Never noticed how much Rich Little looked like Ernest Borgnine till he was made-up like Johnny Carson. Life's funny like that.

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